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After the "Golden Ball" award ceremony, Daniel Alves publicly congratulated the trophy winner Cristiano Ronaldo, but also stated that he had his own opinion.
"I think someone wins prizes because they deserve them. I congratulate Cristiano, but I also have my personal opinion," said the Barcelona defender speaking to journalists, politely refusing to specify what he meant.
The football player's teammate at Barcelona, Lionel Messi, came in second in the voting, but Daniel Alves noted that both the Argentine himself and the players of the Catalan team are primarily focused on team achievements.
"The most important thing for Lionel is the team's results. Of course, if someone is awarded a trophy, those are enjoyable moments, but L. Messi is a team player. The team achievements are the most important reason why he enjoys playing football," said the Brazilian.
The Barcelona player pondered that the fact that L. Messi did not win the "Golden Ball" will likely not become an additional motivation for the Argentine: "The most important thing for him is to quickly regain optimal form after injury and avoid new injuries. These are his biggest challenges now. Lionel most wants to return to the football world and strive for new victories with the team. I think that playing for Barça, he will still have opportunities to compete for personal awards."
On Monday, Daniel Alves was selected for the symbolic world team of the past year in Zurich.
